1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to and has among its objects the provision of novel snack items prepared from legume seeds and novel processes for making them. It is a particular object of the invention to provide novel snack items in which the proteins are balanced to provide optimum nutrition. Further objects of the invention will be evident from the following description wherein parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Snack items have assumed a very prominent role in the American diet, especially for the young. Most snack items, although generally tasty, are lacking in nutrition. Potato chips, for example, are consumed in large quantities but contain only a minimal amount of protein. One means for rendering snack items more nutritious is to fortify them with protein, vitamins, minerals, and the like.
Snack items prepared from materials rich in protein are another answer to the above problem. Legume seeds contain a high percentage of protein and some water-soluble vitamins. However, utilization, in general, of legume seeds is hindered by the relatively lengthy procedures required to prepare them for consumption. Furthermore, nutritional snack items prepared from legume seeds must be appealing to the palate to allow these snacks to compete with other non-nutritional, yet popular, snack food items.